Kiss from a Rose
by sorion
Summary: The general of OZ is still alive. So what? He can’t be any worse than the Wicked Witch of the West down the hall... [Shounen Ai]


Title: Kiss from a rose

Author: SOrion (www.sorion.ch)

Fandom: Gundam Wing

Category: Romance, Shounen Ai

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is not mine, etc.

Thanks to Chatona for the beta :)

* * *

**Kiss from a rose**

Quatre worried. Then again, Quatre always worried.

But this time it felt like there was an actual reason for it, as he walked through a corridor in the Preventers' headquarters, his husband by his side.

Trowa put a steadying hand on Quatre's lower back. "Still nervous?" the taller man asked.

Quatre nodded. "You can't tell me, there's nothing wrong. They wouldn't call us here, otherwise. All of us," he added as an afterthought.

Trowa merely blinked. But he agreed, "I doubt they would."

Yes, something was wrong. The pilots did meet every once in a while, had done so since the end of the war, but never for 'business', as it were.

They did now. All five were requested to attend a meeting at Preventers' headquarters, concerning matters of security. Whatever that meant…

The message entailed nothing else. That alone made Quatre nervous.

The young business man knocked on the door of the conference room they had been sent to and opened it at the sound of a familiar voice calling "enter."

He smiled at the sight of Heero and Wufei sitting at a round table in the middle of the room.

Heero nodded politely, and Wufei greeted them warmly. "Winner. Barton."

Trowa returned the greeting with a soft smile. "It is good to see you, again."

Quatre smiled, as well, even if a bit more enthusiastically. "Yes. Good to see you." He allowed himself to take a seat, before his curiosity got the better of him. "What is this about?" he asked.

Heero cleared his throat. "We'll have to wait for Duo. He should be here, any minute."

Quatre nodded. Neither of the other two men seemed nervous… Did they know?

It didn't take long for the fifth pilot to arrive. He didn't bother to knock and entered. "Yo! I'm not too late, am I?" He carried some sort of portfolio under his right arm and put it next to the last available chair between Trowa and Wufei when he sat. "Had to bring my work with me. Sorry."

"Not at all." Heero smiled slightly. One of the smiles Duo could coax out of his best friend merely by his presence, by now. Something the former Deathscythe-pilot took great pride in. Then Heero gave a curt nod in Wufei's direction.

Wufei acknowledged it and began: "First, I have to notify you that what will be discussed, here, is top secret and must not leave this room." He waited for a round of sincere nods, before he continued. "The matter at hand is the security concerning a man by the name of Sasha Neuhaus. I am aware that you neither know this man nor his role in ending the war. But I can assure you that we probably wouldn't be here, if not for him."

Quatre blinked, surprised. Personal security? He had expected a somewhat bigger matter…

Wufei continued: "Heero and I had been assigned to Mr. Neuhaus' safety, so far, especially since we are two out of four people who he was allowed to have personal contact with, aside from simple everyday life encounters." Wufei sighed. "He chose to break that, I am afraid."

Trowa didn't seem to care that the matter was suspiciously small, considering all of them had to be here. Business was business. "Girlfriend?" he asked.

Wufei and Heero nodded. Wufei answered: "Possibly. Though knowing the man like I do, I expect it to be a male lover. But he refused to give us any more information."

Duo tapped on the table with his index finger. "So… that lover is a security risk? How?"

Quatre nodded. "_We_ don't even know who Mr. Neuhaus is. Why would he be in any danger, when nobody knows of his doings in the war?"

Heero and Wufei exchanged a quick, uncomfortable glance. Heero sighed and shoved a folder on the table towards Trowa, so that Quatre and Duo could have a look, as well.

As Trowa opened it, Heero said: "The real Sasha Neuhaus has been dead for more than twelve years. His cousin took his name with our help… Neuhaus is safe. However…"

Trowa drew in a sharp breath, and Quatre's hand flew to his suddenly pale lips.

"Treize Khushrenada is not," concluded Trowa.

Quatre stared at Wufei. "His death was staged." He couldn't quite keep an accusing tone out of his voice.

Wufei nodded. "Yes. He knew he could only end the war by dying. Obviously, he didn't like that option too much…" He smirked lightly. "I changed sides during the Marimeia incident, because he asked us to find out whether the girl was actually his and to protect her."

Heero looked at Duo, who hadn't said a word during the whole exchange. "Duo?"

Duo lifted his head, startled.

"You… okay?" That was quite a bit of information to keep from his friend…

"Yeah, sure." He waved one hand dismissively. "The general of OZ is still alive. So what? He can't be any worse than the Wicked Witch of the West down the hall…" He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb and grinned.

And – speaking of the devil, as they say – the door opened at that precise moment. "Thank you for that input, Maxwell."

Duo smiled broadly. "Lady! Always a pleasure!"

The woman snorted. "I'm sure." She turned to face Wufei and Heero, standing between the chairs of Quatre and Heero. "They were informed?"

Satisfied at their nods, she continued: "That lover of his must have been around for quite a while. He didn't say exactly _how_ long… And it didn't really worry us, until now."

She pointed at the folder on the table. "As you will be able to read in his file, he was hidden in the colonies… However, it seems that the good general grew tired of his home, and he wants to return to earth."

"Not a good decision," Trowa said, while still leaving through the pages.

"No," the lady agreed. "And he insisted that his lover design the house." She snorted. "Actually, he didn't just _insist_. He _informed_ us three days ago that he… they… will be moving here before the end of the month, and that the house was practically finished, already, all set to be furnished."

Quatre stared at her incredulously. "That's quite a risk to take."

"Yes, well, I all but screamed at him that he was losing his mind. But he made it quite clear that it was both his life and his decision."

Trowa closed the folder, having found what he was looking for. "Well, he changed his tell-tale eyebrows and his hair-do, he's obviously out of uniform, and he has the possibility to refer to his 'distant cousin Khushrenada' to explain the still familiar appearance… So, the problem is, as you said, the partner. To ensure Khushrenada's safety, we will have to get him or her on file and make sure that the house isn't a nicely disguised trap."

Wufei nodded. "This was our assessment, as well."

"The problem is," interrupted the lady, "that when we tried to get blueprints of the house, the security was too tight to breach." She glanced at Heero. "Even for him… At least in this short period of time." She smiled, amused. "So, this could either mean that the partner is trying to protect Treize… or keep us from investigating."

"The former." Duo chuckled at the incredulous stares this comment got him. He reached for his portfolio and threw it on the table. Then he grinned at Heero. "You had three days and couldn't get through my security?" He chuckled, again. "Either I'm getting better, or you're getting old, buddy."

Lady Une practically ripped open the portfolio and stared at the contents.

Duo put his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand. "I didn't know you wanted the blueprints. You'll have to make do with the sketches, for now." He grinned widely.

Heero looked like he didn't know whether he should be amused or stunned. He settled for a small quirk of lips. "Duo… you and… Treize?"

Duo shrugged. "Well… you _did_ hide him on L2, didn't you?"

Quatre stared at the braided young man for a long time, in which none of them uttered another word. He could feel it. He could feel Duo and his emotions. He saw through the violet eyes and right into the other man's soul. Finally, he stuttered: "Duo… you…" He took a deep breath. "You're…" he paused once more, as if looking at the words he was going to say and unable to believe them, himself. "You're… happy."

Duo's grin widened considerably. "Damn straight, I am." He leaned back in his seat. "And it's not just Treize – though that adds a lot to it." He snickered. "The job's great. I really enjoy creating."

Heero nodded slowly. "I _was _wondering why you changed your major from physics to architecture."

He received a few nods, Duo's included.

"I get to do both, actually. I patented a new laser drilling system half a year ago." He pointed to his drawings of the house that were still lying on the table. "I would have never been able to build the house into the cliff like I did – at least not as accurate and fast – without it."

Quatre blinked, several times. "That was you? Some of my people have an appointment with… you, I guess, about the driller next week!"

Duo quirked the side of his lips smugly. "They sure do."

"But why didn't you come to me right away?"

Duo lifted one eyebrow. "What do you think, Blondie?"

After a moment, a soft smile appeared on Quatre's face. "But you _do_ know that this was only to assure _yourself_ that you're good enough, right? The reason I'd have looked at your project without question is because I _know _you're just that good."

Everyone chuckled at that.

"Yeah, I know. But it was still something I had to do."

Une snorted. "I was beginning to wonder why we hadn't heard from you after your graduation, actually."

"I called in. Often." Which was true. He tried very hard – and succeeded – not to lose contact with any of them.

Heero grinned. "But you kept very tight-lipped about your professional life, didn't you?"

Trowa stepped in: "Not to mention your romantic life…"

Duo simply grinned a very self-satisfied grin.

Wufei snorted and crossed his arms. "You don't actually think we're going to let you get away with an answer like that, do you?"

Duo laughed. "Naw, of course not. But no stories until I had dinner. I didn't get to eat lunch, earlier."

"The company owns a restaurant, nearby", Quatre said, and even though he kept referring to WEI as 'the company', everyone knew it was for all intents and purposes _his_ company. "I'll treat you guys to dinner and you tell us your story. Should be interesting."

"Fair enough." Duo hadn't expected to escape the interrogation, anyway. And some part of him wanted to be able to finally tell someone what had happened almost two years ago…

* * *

Duo turned around once he had seen the "closed because of illness" sign and walked back down the street. 

Great. The evening off, no studying, and his favourite diner was closed. He glanced both ways to see another possibility to grab a bite, but there was a reason why he never ate somewhere else… Most restaurants in this part were anything but inviting. And the university cafeteria was closed on Saturday evenings.

Well… he had only one year of university left and he kept telling himself that he would explore the changes L2 had undergone after the end of the war... This was a good a chance as any.

He returned to the uni's metro station. He had heard about a section where he now hoped to find a restaurant to comfortably eat and sit for as long as he wanted. Some upper middle-class area with lots of nice little houses.

Duo snorted at the thoughts his mind had just spouted, entirely without his consent. '_Upper middle-class'_? Was that what he was, now?

After the Marimeia incident all Gundam pilots had gotten a scholarship for a university of their choice. A quite generous scholarship, too, at that. Duo had at first been reluctant to take it, but years of just plain _nothing_ had taught him to seize an opportunity, once it presented itself.

Sitting in the underground coach he sighed. Well, opportunity or not, he damn well deserved it!

At his destination he took in the scenery and looked out for a diner of some sorts.

It was a very nice area, and considering that it only took half an hour to get here, it was a pity he hadn't tried it, earlier. There were a lot of trees between houses, of which none looked quite like the other.

He couldn't make out a restaurant, so he decided to take a stroll along one of the streets. Someone had really put an effort to make this colony worth living on…

The university area wasn't too bad, either. Very modern and efficient. But Duo preferred his eating surroundings to be more personal, where one would not simply be dispatched. And it looked like he would be able to find just that, here.

After maybe five or ten minutes, he spotted a small café on the other side of the street with a big sign that promised warm meals until closing hour at midnight.

With a smile he turned to cross, when he caught a glimpse of a house hidden a little further down a very small side street. A little tower peeked out from behind a fir tree. A copy of a late 18th century design, if his education was not mistaken.

He decided to first have a closer look, as his stomach wasn't in a hurry.

How fascinating, he thought, when he walked down the tiny pathway he had mistaken for an actual street. The house and its surroundings looked positively wild. Some more trees, bushes, wild flowers… the house was made of a very good and new kind of artificial wood, of which only a professional would be able to tell the difference to real wood.

Even though this house was probably a lot more expensive and it was hidden just so that it would not actually appear that it wanted to remain unseen, it didn't stand out from the other buildings.

Duo shook his head and chuckled. "You've got to stop thinking strategy, Maxwell." He turned, again to get something to eat.

His eye hadn't cheated on him, concerning the café, however. It was exactly what he had expected: Small, personal, soft music, friendly faces, comfortable looking lounge chairs…

He stepped up to the counter and was greeted, immediately.

"Good evening. What can I get you?"

"Dinner, actually. Something I should try, while I'm in this part of town?" he grinned.

The bartender smiled widely at him. "Uni?"

"Got it in one."

The man leaned over the counter and said in a mock conspirator voice: "I've got something for you to compare with your school food. You haven't eaten a burger until you've tried ours."

"I think, I'll go with your assessment."

"Fries and coke?"

"Wow. You're good," Duo laughed. "Except for the coke. Get me a beer, yeah?"

"ID?"

Duo showed him and the man smiled, again, motioning to the tables. "Get yourself a seat and I'll get you your dinner in no time."

Duo turned around to find a quiet corner and froze in mid-motion. There, right in the back of the restaurant, he could see the profile of a face he hadn't seen in years… and had never thought to see, again.

The man looked different, but not different enough for Duo not to recognize him, anyway. Same hair colour, different cut. Very different clothes. And something about the eyes…

Duo slowly walked closer, and with every step he was surer about the man's identity. Well, well, well… Wasn't _that_ a surprise.

He walked in on him from behind so that he would not see him coming. Next to the back of the chair he leaned over a bit and said in a very low voice, just a bit above a whisper: "Good evening, Treize."

The man froze, if only for an instant, as he almost visibly forced himself to relax, but Duo did still notice it. "I beg your pardon?"

Duo snickered at the response; the voice only confirmed his suspicion. He stepped around the table into the man's view and sat down in front of him, smirking.

He waited for the fractional widening of the former general's eyes to indicate that he recognized him, as well and then lifted one eyebrow. "You were saying?"

"I would…" Treize coughed, "… appreciate it, if you could call me by the name of Sasha Neuhaus, Mr. Maxwell." He looked anxious, as if he wasn't sure if the young man would just shoot him without question.

Duo chuckled at the other's nervousness. "Relax, man. Your secret is safe with me." He crossed his arms. "Though I believe I will have to have words with Mr. Chang, don't I?"

Treize nodded. "That… might be advisable." He was still uncertain, that much was obvious. "May I ask _why_ you chose to keep my secret, just like that?"

Duo just shrugged nonchalantly. "To pull that stunt, you needed help from… our side. I don't know how many, but Wufei is a given, considering how he was the one to… _take you out_. And I trust Wufei. I am going to tear him to pieces the next time I see him, but I trust him." He grinned then sobered. "Were there any more?"

Treize's eyes roamed quickly over the small crowd in the café and then returned to Duo. "I was told that Yuy had suspicions. But only Chang was part of the original plan. By now, the small circle includes both Chang and Yuy, Lady Une and… my daughter."

"I see…" Duo nodded slowly. "Was the burger any good?" he pointed to the only half empty plate in front of Treize.

Treize blinked, surprised at the changed topic. "Well, it… Yes, it was good. I was just not very hungry."

"You never struck me as the fries and burger kind of type…"

Treize chuckled. "You never struck me as the type to start a conversation with me, Mr. Maxwell."

"Point. And call me Duo."

"You may call me Sasha, then. The name you called me, earlier is… not suitable for public places, as I am sure you can imagine." He looked up and behind Duo, when the bartender arrived with Duo's dinner.

"There you go. And the beer's on the house. For keeping our resident loner some company." He winked.

Duo laughed. "Thanks, man. I'll gladly accept."

The bartender put another beer in front of Treize.

Treize just smiled and shook his head. "Paul, I told you…"

"That you don't drink alone. I know." He grinned. "Cheers."

The following weeks, Duo did not eat around his block, in the evenings, often. Actually, as soon as his courses were over and he had done his share of studying, he was on his way to cross the colony.

And he learnt that his instincts could still be trusted… The house he had noticed, just before he met Treize, was indeed built to hide, but not suspiciously so. A good choice of a home for the former general.

When Treize had said his parting words that day "I hope it is not presumptuous of me to expect you in the neighbourhood, again, some day," Duo had been more relieved than he dared to admit.

He had contact with the guys often enough. But none of them were here. He had friends at the uni, too, of course… But none of them _knew_ the war, like he and Treize did.

He had found a companion in Treize, and after a short time, a friend. The kind of friend who knew but never had to ask. A friend with whom you could share your innermost fears, without being pressed for more, because Treize _understood_ the horrors of war and did not need to be told about them.

The kind of friend he never expected to find in anyone but the other four pilots.

So, it came a bit of a surprise, when after almost six months of comfortable companionship with Treize, they ended up kissing one night.

Duo had fallen in love, often, after the war; often and quickly. Very nearly all of those crushes had been over just as quickly. He didn't mind and neither did his partners. They'd had fun while it lasted and no hard feelings, afterwards…

But Treize was different, and he knew it from the very first moment their lips touched.

Treize savoured, he didn't push.

Treize explored, he didn't rush.

Treize devoured, he didn't taste.

Treize claimed, he didn't take.

And it scared Duo, how readily he accepted that, how very much he craved it, even.

The other man told Duo of his beauty, his angelic face, his glorious hair, his enchanting eyes, his fair skin and beautiful body… And Duo knew without a doubt that Treize meant each and every word exactly how he said them.

He knew it from the touches, the looks, the kisses all over his trembling body. He knew with certainty that it was _his_ flushed face, _his_ strangled moans to rouse Treize's passion and the devotion in his eyes.

And for the first time in his life, it mattered to him, to not only take or receive, but to experience _both, _experience _everything_.

Satisfaction wasn't all that mattered, anymore. He wanted _completion_.

And Treize gave it all to him, cherished him like a rare, precious rose.

* * *

Quatre worried. Then again, Quatre always worried. 

Duo peeked at him in the rear-view mirror and grinned. "Hey, Q. What's with the face?"

Quatre laughed, embarrassed. "Just a little anxious, I guess…"

"Well, you'll lose it, soon enough. I'll see to that." Duo winked. "It's my house-warming party. No spirit-dampening behaviour allowed."

"Don't worry. I'll be on my very best." And he really intended to. But that didn't lessen the nervousness of seeing Treize Khushrenada, again, after all those years of believing the man to be dead.

Quatre sighed and turned to look out of the window at the scenery they were passing. It was beautiful, Duo and Treize had chosen the location well.

They were driving along a small coast street, hadn't passed any houses, for the last fifteen minutes, and Duo assured them that there wouldn't be any more.

Ahead of them lay a forest. He couldn't make out just how large it was, but according to the map they had been studying – to assure Duo that his security measures had been sufficient – it made out the whole cliff that ended in a peak in about another five miles.

They crossed the first few trees and Quatre breathed deeply. It was beautiful out here, and the scent, the sounds and the calming colours managed to lull him in a slight doze for a few minutes.

Not long after, they stopped in front of a small house.

They all knew that it was anything but small, thanks to Duo's architecture, but the real size was hard to imagine, just the same.

"Here we are," said Duo and practically jumped out of the car.

Wufei exited and stared at the homey little cottage and shook his head, slowly. "You…" he breathed. "… You are a genius."

Duo blushed, slightly and cleared his throat. "Let's get inside, yeah?" He stepped ahead, unlocked the door and motioned his friends to enter.

There were several rooms with invitingly open doors… But the first thing everyone noticed inside was the large staircase leading downwards. The scent of fresh spiced bread drifted upstairs and made all of them remember that their drive had been a long one.

"The guest rooms are up here. You can have whichever ones you want. But I suggest you choose those overlooking the sea." He pointed ahead. "Just put your suitcases inside, I'll be waiting for you downstairs." He was fiddling nervously with his keys.

The guests smiled indulgently at their host and nodded. None of them wondered why Duo was excited… After all, he hadn't seen his lover for almost two weeks, and after their first meeting after the war, they had never been separated for longer than two or three days.

Duo rushed down the stairs, while the other four went to find their rooms.

They gave Duo a few minutes, before following him.

With every step they took, their eyes widened more. It was one thing to see the sketches and blueprints… but another thing entirely to actually walk inside it.

The steps led them to the floor downstairs that had one huge, round wall of glass that went around in an open circle of over three-hundred degrees. The view on the sea from this point was overwhelming. And none of it was visible from the upper level. The forest and the cliff itself hid everything. But for utmost security, Duo had installed a cloaking device, as well, so that the house – or mansion, rather – wouldn't be visible from either air or sea.

The mouth-watering scents had their origin in the kitchen to the left, there was a dining table near it, a living area right in front and obviously bedrooms to the right.

The impressions of the house made the pilots almost miss their two hosts who were standing near the dining table in a passionate embrace. Almost.

It was interesting to see that the lovers were nearly of the same height, now.

Wufei cleared his throat, politely and smirked, amused.

Treize broke the kiss, immediately but kept one arm tightly around Duo's shoulder, while the younger man leaned into the embrace.

"Gentlemen. I apologize," Treize began.

To everyone's surprise it was Heero, who responded to that, quickly. He smiled slightly. "Not at all. The house is beautiful. Congratulations."

Treize knew that the felicitation was not for the house, solely. He shared an adoring look with his lover, visibly proud of Duo's accomplishment, before turning back to Heero. "Thank you. And you are always welcome in it." He nodded his head, politely, gratefully, even.

And when the two men kissed lovingly – if briefly – again and then engaged to serve an aperitif to their guests while leading them to the comfortable couches, the evening sunlight streaming through the open windows of the new home, the new beginning…

… Quatre had to admit that sometimes… sometimes even he worried for nothing. And he finally allowed himself to be happy with his friend.

**FIN**

06-02-06


End file.
